Football
Glenn Price, Liverpool correspondent 7y

James Milner hoping to help Dominic Solanke settle into life at Liverpool

James Milner says he will use his experience to help youngster Dominic Solanke settle at Liverpool.

Solanke, 19, is out of contract at Chelsea this summer and will complete a switch to Anfield on July 1, with Liverpool having to pay a compensation fee, which will be decided by a tribunal.

The striker has enjoyed a successful summer as he helped England win the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea earlier this month.

Solanke's performances in the tournament earned him the Golden Ball, joining Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Argentina legend Diego Maradona and Manchester United's Paul Pogba in winning the prize.

"He's obviously had a great summer," Milner said, speaking at the opening of Liverpool's international academy in Utah, United States. "He's a great young player coming through. We've got a young squad anyway so it's good to keep that going. Me being one of the older guys, hopefully I can help him come along.

"I think he's already shown this summer with what he's done with the England team and winning the World Cup [what he can do]. It's a great achievement to come out of that as best player.

"You look at the other names over the years who have been named the best player in that tournament, so he's up there with some of the best. That's great for him and a great confidence booster. If Liverpool fans didn't know who he was then they do now."

Meanwhile, Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is hoping a complete preseason under his belt will lead to further first-team opportunities.

Gomez made just three appearances last season for Jurgen Klopp's side after a 13-month layoff with injury.

"Ideally I'd hope to get some more minutes and so on [next season], but at the moment I've just got to focus on going into preseason and getting the best start I can," the 20-year-old told the club's official website. "We've got the [preseason] tour and things, so I've got to aim to get off to a good start and then get some minutes as the season progresses.

"It was kind of disappointing for me last preseason because I'd had the aim to make it on time for it [from injury] because I know how important it is to get a good start in it. It'll be nice to have a fresh start this preseason and put the past behind me."

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